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George Clooney claims Hello! magazine 'completely fabricated' exclusive interview

'I have not given an interview to Hello Magazine and the quotes attributed to me are not accurate'

Samuel Osborne
Friday 01 April 2016 19:36 BST
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George and Amal Clooney attend the Celebrity Fight Night in Italy on September 7, 2014
George and Amal Clooney attend the Celebrity Fight Night in Italy on September 7, 2014 (Andrew Goodman/Getty Images)

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George Clooney has claimed Hello! magazine "completely fabricated" an interview with him.

In a statement, the actor said: “I have not given an interview to Hello Magazine and the quotes attributed to me are not accurate.”

He added: “In my experience, being misquoted is not unusual but to have an ‘exclusive interview’ completely fabricated is something new. And a very disturbing trend.”

Hello! has since removed the story from its website, saying it was "dismayed" to learn the interview never took place.

The story initially ran under the headline "George Clooney reveals wife Amal Clooney's most attractive feature" with the stand-first saying: "In an exclusive interview with HELLO!".

Faked quotes in the story included Mr Clooney telling Hello! he and his wife "have a rule whereby we are never apart for more than a week".

A statement on their website says: "HELLO! Magazine and the HELLO! Group are very dismayed by Mr George Clooney's statement that an interview with him that was published by the HELLO! Group is not authentic.

"The HELLO! Group bought the interview in good faith from a respectable independent agent, Famous, with whom it has dealt for many years and the agency and its writer were both credited at the end of the article in HELLO! Magazine as is customary.

It added: "In the meantime, the HELLO! Group can only express its deepest respect for both Mr Clooney and his wife, Amal, and its sincere commitment to respectable and accurate journalism."

Extracts of the interview are still live on several other media outlets websites, such as The Sun.

In 2014, Mr Clooney rejected an apology from the MailOnline after it claimed the actor's mother-in-law opposed his marriage on religious grounds.

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